


Breaking Out of Her Shell

by Ketoprofen



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Confident!OC, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff and Smut, I don't like when when there are a ton of tags so I tried to keep it light, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Kiba's kind of jerk, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-20 02:11:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20220076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ketoprofen/pseuds/Ketoprofen
Summary: Kerii and her twin brother Zakku are starting their Senior Year at Konoha High with the rest of the typical crew. After an awkward summer spent "learning to be a woman", Kerii is ready to start her last year of school with new-found confidence and maybe finally move on from her long-term unrequited crush on Kiba.However, it doesn't take long for her new attitude to be noticed by her classmates.





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this story written for years sitting in my Google Docs. I've gone through an edited it about a dozen times and I think it's finally at a place where I enjoy it and feel compelled to post it. 
> 
> Since it's already fully written, I'm posting all the chapters at once. Hope you enjoy!

Zakku and I pulled into the school’s parking lot on the first day of our senior year. Zakku’s hair, electric blue and messy, stood out against the dark interior of his muscle car, and his icy blue eyes – the only feature that even made us seem like relatives – shone in the early-morning sunlight. I pushed my blonde hair out of my own frosty eyes and scanned the parking lot for a familiar face. When I didn’t see anyone, I got out of the car. Zakku already had the trunk open and was pulling out our backpacks. He handed me mine before slamming the trunk shut and locking his doors.

“I missed you all summer, Kerii,” Zakku said as he put his arm loosely around my shoulders.

I shrugged. “It’s not like I wanted to stay there after you left, but you said you needed to come back home for summer practice.”

“I know, but I would’ve had a lot more fun staying at a beach condo playing volleyball everyday.” He took his arm off my shoulders. “Besides, you got to actually spend time with Mom and Dad,” he said quietly.

I didn’t know how to respond to that so I just stayed quiet. He was right, after all. Our parents had the mindset that providing money for their family was their main role as parents. Once Zakku and I started high school, they increased the amount of time they spent on business trips and long nights at their respective careers. We had sports to pay for, Zakku with varsity football and me with varsity track, and the last thing Mom and Dad wanted was for their two eldest sons, our brothers Jasutin and Kiisu, to start their lives in student loan debt, so they also covered college tuition for both of them. We never had to worry about money, which is more than can be said for many of our peers, but whenever we saw our friends interacting with their parents, it felt foreign and awkward to us. Even this summer, when our parents took a rare vacation and rented a beach condo for the season, they had to make sure and get a unit with an extra bedroom so that they had an office if they needed to telecommute for something.

I was sick of thinking about it so I changed the subject to what classes we were taking. Since it was our senior year and we had most of our required credits done, we were both taking a few electives to help us enjoy our last year a little better. We chatted idly about our schedules on our way through the parking lot and up to the main building, splitting up once we got inside to go to our different cliques. He hung out with the likes of Naruto, Neji, Kiba, and Sasuke. Naruto and Kiba were on the football team with Zakku and also pretty popular guys. Neji and Sasuke didn’t play any sports, but they were still pretty popular and got absorbed into the football friend group. I never had a particular problem with any of them, but they weren’t my favorite people.

Being on girl’s track, I mostly spent time with my teammates Tenten and Hinata. Sakura used to be on the track team, but last school year she had decided that she wanted to go to medical school and dropped the team in order to focus on her studies. I mostly just saw her in class these days.

Tenten was waiting for me outside our homeroom. “Hey, I went ahead and got us a locker to share,” She said as I walked up.

“Okay, cool. Is Sakura sharing with us again this year?”

“She said she has to see how many books she has,” She responded as we walked off toward our locker. “I think she’s crazy to want to spend that much time with Miss Tsunade.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” I responded. “But she is Sakura’s best chance of getting into medical school.”

We walked through the halls a little more before going to our locker and trying out the combination. Sakura walked up behind us a few minutes later trying to see over the stack of books in her arms. Tenten and I turned to her, each of us cocking an eyebrow. 

I asked, “So, I guess you’re getting your own locker?”

“I think I need my own bookshelf,” She responded. She set her books on the linoleum floor and rolled her shoulders in an attempt to stretch them out. 

I started to ask how her summer had been, but a wolf whistle took my attention away. The three of us looked up and saw my brother’s friends standing down the hall in a small huddle staring at us. I couldn't make out exactly what they shouted at us, but it was something lewd and contained the words “fine” and “ladies”.

“Your shit’s weak. I’d like to see you try that when Zakku’s here,” I shouted back, noting my brother’s absence.

That shut them up, if only for a moment. Zakku wasn’t a bully by any means, but he was intimidating. One of the tallest guys on the football team, he played defensive linemen due to his massive size. He wasn’t grotesquely built, but he was more than most people dared to test. Not to mention he was just a wee bit protective of me. He was my older brother after all, if only be fifteen minutes, so he felt the need to watch over me despite my protests.

I beckoned my friends to follow me as I started down the hall past the boys.

Once we were out of sight, Naruto said, “Dude, Kerii got so hot over the summer.”

“Naruto, there’s no need to state the obvious,” Sasuke said quietly as they all started walking.

“I’m surprised she’s still a virgin,” Naruto commented.

“I’m not surprised,” Neji said matter-of-factly. “I’ve seen how awkward she is - it’s unappealing.”

Kiba, who had stayed silent until then, looked up at his friends with a smirk. “I bet I can take her virginity before graduation.”

They all looked at him.

“Dude, are you insane?!”

Kiba’s smirk just got wider. “If you don’t think I can do it, then place your bets.”

They immediately started digging in their pockets for their wallets.

Neji said, “I’ve got 30.”

After a second of counting, Sasuke said, “I’ve got 60.”

Naruto was the last to contribute, “I’ve got 20, but I need 10 for ramen, so I’ll put 10 in.”

“I hope you guys are ready to lose,” Kiba said cockily.

“What are you guys betting on?” Zakku asked as he came walking up behind them. Everyone froze.

“T-The game this weekend,” Kiba quickly lied.

“Which one?” Zakku asked.

“S-Sound and Mist.”

“Dude, that’s an easy one. Sound’s gonna get creamed. One of their wide receivers is blind, for Christ’s sake.”

Everyone started arguing about the game, except Kiba. He was thinking about the bet he’d just made. They were right, Kerii had changed over the summer. She had always been attractive, but the only thing that ever made her stand out against all the other pretty girls in school was the unique color of her eyes. Now, though, something was different. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he would figure it out. After all, he was about to start spending a lot of time getting to know her better.

\-----------------------------------

After school, I made my way toward the gym. I had told Tenten I would do some training with her after school to get ready for the upcoming track and field season. Sakura wanted to come, but she had an extra hour of class after school with Tsunade.

Tenten were already halfway changed by the time I got to the locker room, so I hurried to catch up with her.

“Shikamaru and Shino said they’d join us,” She said as we were walking out of the locker room.

The two boys were standing outside waiting for us. Shikamaru gave me a sideways look and, even though it didn’t show on his face, I saw the knowing smirk in his expression. 

“I’m glad you decided the team wasn’t too troublesome to try out for this year. You’re our best high jumper,” Tenten said to Shikamaru after we had all exchanged our greetings. He just shrugged in response.

We stood around in the main gym building for a few minutes stretching and watching the football team file out of the locker room. They only did weight lifting on Mondays, so none of them were wearing their normal gear. Once they were all gone, we refilled our water bottles in the fountain and went outside to the track. 

Shikamaru held the door open for the four of us as we filed out. I was the last one and, as I walked past him, he grabbed my elbow to make me stop. “So are we going to talk about it?” He asked quietly and let his hand drop from my arm. He made a point to gently drag his hand down my side and hip as it fell.

I tried to speak quickly and quietly so that Shino wouldn’t hear. Tenten already knew everything that happened over the summer between me and Shikamaru, but I didn’t want a lot of people to know about it. “We already talked about. We had a lot of fun at the beach, but I don’t do the girlfriend thing. Especially with someone who’s moving away at the end of the year to go to the country’s best university. You don’t need me back home dragging you down.”

He thought for a moment before saying, “Okay fine, but can we still fool around sometimes?”

I just rolled my eyes and walked away from him.

\-----------------------------------

We decided to call it quits about an hour later. Shino said he had homework and Shikamaru was ready for a nap. After a shower and a change of clothes, I walked across the parking lot to Zakku’s car. He’d given me his keys so I could put my backpack in the trunk. I grabbed the book I was supposed to read for literature class, found a shady spot, and sat down.

An indeterminate amount of time later, I was jolted awake by the sounds of the football team talking as they walked out of the gym. I pulled the book off my face and wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth before standing up and stretching. Zakku, Naruto, and Kiba were walking together toward the parking lot. They had showered and changed clothes, chunks of damp hair was stuck to their foreheads and flattened against their necks. This wasn’t a new look for any of them and I’d seen it hundreds of times before, but I felt something stir in the pit of my stomach as I watched Kiba. Earlier he’d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but now he was in a tank top and basketball shorts and I could see that he’d put on muscle over the summer. His biceps were a little larger, his shoulders a little broader, his forearms and calves a little more defined. He pulled up the bottom of his tank top to clean his phone's screen and I saw his stomach; six months ago it had been flat, now he had well-defined abs. His brown hair was plastered against his neck and jawline and I started imagining his face hovering over me, his hair wet with sweat as a direct result of the filthy things we were doing to each other.

“Fuck,” I whispered to myself, almost out of breath. Not this shit again, I thought I was over this. 

The three of them split up to go their separate ways and my eyes trailed after Kiba. Ten years with this stupid crush. Ten years and I still felt this way, even after not seeing him for three months. I thought after this summer I would be over him.

“Have you talked Lee into training with you guys yet?” Zakku asked as he got close, snapping me out of my daydream.

“Hello to you, too. And no. He says Coach Maito has him doing special training,” I answered before climbing into the passenger seat. 

“It’s scary how alike those two are,” Zakku commented in reference to Lee and our track coach.

I nodded and watched out the window as we pulled out of the parking lot, not realizing that I was trying to get another look at Kiba. 

Zakku and I didn’t really talk on the way home, both too tired from our sports to come up with conversation. 

“The guys are coming over for dinner tonight,” Zakku said once we arrived home.

I just simply answered, “Kay,” and headed toward the stairs.

“Are you gonna eat with us?” He asked as he followed.

“Doubt it.”

“Why not?”

I cocked an eyebrow and turned to face him. “Where have you been for the past five years? Your friends and I don’t exactly get along.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like you hate each other.”

“I don’t see why you care. It’s not like I’m a hermit. I have friends,” I argued.

“You want to be friends with someone like Shikamaru or Lee or Shino?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“They’re losers,” He said in a ‘duh’ kind of tone.

I stood there for a moment staring at my twin in disbelief. After a few silent seconds, I said, “I noticed you only listed my male friends.”

“Obviously,” he said in the same tone as before.

I didn’t say anything, just held my hand out in a “please continue” motion.

Zakku sighed. “Look, I didn’t want to say anything before, but I think you should know. A lot of guys at school were talking about you today. Like, stuff you don’t want to hear.”

“Were Shikamaru, Lee, or Shino among those guys?” I asked.

Another sigh. “No, but trust me, I know there’s only one thing guys want.”

I looked at him for a moment, thinking back to my summer at the beach. 

Zakku had been there for the first week but then had to come back home. Jasutin and Kiisu stayed another week and taught me how to play volleyball. After they went back to school, I had occupied my time over the next six weeks playing volleyball everyday, only taking breaks for meals. On days that it rained too hard for volleyball, I lifted weights in the condo complex’s on-site gym. 

Two months into summer, Shikamaru and his parents showed up to the beach - they were staying in the same condo complex as us. Two days after their arrival, my mom met me at the breakfast table one morning as I was on my way to the volleyball courts. She told me she was sorry for not having the time to do this earlier, but she had seen how I was blossoming into a lovely young woman and she had also seen how Shikamaru had been looking at me the last few days. She wanted to make sure that I knew as much as possible about relationships and sex so that I didn’t end up making the same mistakes she did when she was my age. 

We were inseparable over the next three days as she passed on all of her wisdom about womanhood, confidence, sexuality, relationships, and anything else she felt I needed to know. 

That weekend we had dinner with Shikamaru and his parents. With my new education, I was now able to see what my mom had meant about “the way Shikamaru had been looking” at me. I kissed him after dinner, and we slept together every night after that for the last month of summer vacation. We would spend the days apart, researching new positions and techniques, then come together at night and try them with each other. Nothing romantic, just purely physical and matter-of-fact as we learned about ourselves and did a lot of growing up together.

I snapped back to the present, still looking at my brother. “Shikamaru has some articles I think you should read. I’ll ask him to send you the links,” I finally said. I turned around and continued walking up the stairs.

“Articles? About what?” Zakku asked as he followed me.

“Learning to respect women as more than just sex dolls,” I replied curtly. “He showed them to me over the summer, they're really good. Maybe you can learn something from them.” I shut my bedroom door in his face.

I expected him to try and argue through my door, but instead I heard him walk away and a few minutes later his shower turned on. When our house had been built, our parents paid extra to make sure each bedroom had its own attached bathroom. It had seemed like a waste when we were kids, but once we hit puberty we realized it was actually a god send.

About an hour later, I could hear deep voices downstairs telling jokes and throwing around friendly insults. That meant the guys were here, and that meant I would stay up in my room. I didn’t hate my brother's friends by any means, but with all the stupid pranks and cruel jokes we’d played on each other over the years, I just wasn’t in the mood for the embarrassment. 

I waited until I could no longer hear the guys’ voices to go downstairs and get dinner for myself. And then I texted Shikamaru:

“Do you mind sending your articles to Zakku?”

“Which ones?” He replied.

“Everything but the sex ones. Please and thank you”

“K. Btw, you won’t believe some of the stuff I heard about you today. I guess I'm not the only one who appreciates your new ass”


	2. Chapter 2

About a week later, Zakku and I drove separate cars to school. Our dogs had an appointment at the Inuzuka vet clinic after school and I volunteered to take them so he wouldn’t miss practice. 

I skipped track training with everyone so I could go home and give the two large dogs much-needed baths before their appointment. Once they were dry I loaded them in my car and drove them to the clinic. The wait was short and we were only there for annual vaccines, so nothing was extraordinary. After all was said and done, Hana stayed back in the room to talk to me as her assistant left.

“Thanks again for always taking such good care of us,” I told her. The same thing I told her every time she examined the dogs.

“It’s no problem. It’s the least I can do for you and Zakkumaru. You two are keeping Kiba out of a lot of trouble,” She answered. I just grinned, not really sure how to respond.

“You still thinking about vet school?” She asked.

“I think so. I'd like to get some experience in the field first, though. You know, before I spend a bunch of money on a degree.”

She nodded. “That's a good idea. I was invited to teach a course this summer at an international veterinary school in Australia. You're welcome to come with me if you want. Sit in on the lectures, help me grade homework, that kind of stuff.”

My eyes widened. “Wow, really?”

She smiled. “Sure. I could use the help and it would be a good way to get your feet wet in the field.”

“Hana I… I don't know what to say.”

“Just think about it. I'm leaving the weekend after you guys graduate so you've got time to decide.”

“Well, thank you. I really appreciate you thinking about me.”

She just smiled and nodded. “No problem. I'll see you later, Kerii. Have a nice day!” She waved goodbye on her way out the door.

I gathered up the two leashes and walked out of the exam room to pay our bill. The girl who had checked us in for our appointment was gone and Kiba was in her place at the front desk. He was wearing glasses and reading something on the computer screen. 

_Has he always worn glasses? No, I would have remembered that._ I had to stop myself before I started imagining him hovering over me again, this time with sweaty hair plastered to his neck and wearing his glasses.

I gulped a bit and walked over. “H-hey,” I said, my voice much shakier than I had hoped. I coughed and pretended like I had something in my throat that I needed to clear out. “No practice today?”

“No our normal receptionist was sick and went home so I came in to help out,” He answered as he pulled up our client file.

“Well I’m sure they appreciate the help,” I said. He gave me the total for the visit and I handed over my mom’s credit card. “So… you wear glasses now?”

“Yeah they’ve got this special coating that helps with eye strain from looking at computer screens and helps me drive better at night,” he said as he swiped the card. “Plus I look damn good in them,” he added with a smirk, looking up at me.

I fought back a blush, remembering my mom’s advice: **when you like a guy, you want to be aloof, but not distant. The kind of guy you want isn’t the one who’s looking for a fangirl to fawn over him.**

“Yes, the frames fit your face well,” I said simply and reached out for the card. 

As he handed it back, he asked, “You doing anything Friday night?”

I thought for a moment, and shook my head. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“You wanna go to dinner and a movie with me?”

I narrowed my eyes a bit. This situation was all too familiar. “Like a date?”

“Yeah, a date.”

My eyes stayed narrow as I suspiciously asked, “What time?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, 6? I’ll come pick you up. We can see the movie first and then get dinner.” He stood up to get my receipt from the printer behind him.

“Yeah sure sounds good,” I responded blandly. This wasn’t the first time he had asked me out. The two times before had both ended with him standing me up. I wasn’t going to fall for it again. I took the paper from him and stuffed it in my bag.

“See you then,” He said in a tone that I realized was trying to be seductive. 

“Mhm,” I responded in a sarcastic tone and left. 

Kiba frowned a little after I left. Normally when he asked me out my whole face went red and I nearly melted. _What just happened?_

\-----------------------------------

Zakku’s car wasn’t in the driveway when I got home so I let the dogs out back and went upstairs to shower and change. I let the dogs back inside, fed them dinner, and went back upstairs to work on homework. I saw pretty quickly that I wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on any of the material so I went back downstairs to watch TV. I had a TV in my room, but I wanted to stretch out on the couch and watch something on the big screen.

The front door opened about half an hour later and I was soon joined in the living room by Zakku and Naruto. 

“Did you finish the history homework, Naruto?” I asked as the two of them sat down with me in the living room.

“Kerii, when’s the last time I did homework?” He asked.

I paused before saying, “Never?”

He nodded with a smile. “Hey, I have a question for you.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

“Do you think Hinata would go on a date with me if I asked her?”

“I don’t know. That whole kissing prank you pulled was pretty mean.”

He scratched the back of his head nervously. “Yeah, I know, but that was like a year and a half ago.”

“She’s a shy girl,” I started. “She probably won’t handle being alone with you very well.”

“Then we can do a double date! Or a group date! Kerii, find a date and come with us!” He said excitedly.

“Who am I supposed to go with, Naruto? My brother?”

“No. Go with Sasuke or someone.”

“Sakura would kill me if I did that,” I argued.

“Neji?” He suggested.

“Last I heard, he and Tenten were talking.”

He thought for a second. “Shikamaru?”

Zakku suddenly spoke up, “I’ll do a double date with you, Naruto. I’ll ask Ino.”

Naruto smiled and bumped fists with Zakku. 

I cocked an eyebrow at my brother and asked, “No objections to me dating your friends, only my friends?”

He didn’t say anything, he just looked back at me with a “we’ll talk about it later” look.

We never did talk about it later.


	3. First Date

That Friday, Zakku and I got home from school, took showers, and fell asleep on the couches in the living room trying to watch a movie. We woke up around 5:30 and went into the kitchen to heat up pizza for dinner.

“Kiba asked me out on a date tonight,” I said and took a bite of my pizza.

Zakku sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry Ker, I don’t know why he thinks it’s so funny to do that to you. I told him he needed to stop.”

I shrugged. “Whatever. At least it won’t be like last time where I got stood up at the sushi place and waited for half an hour before I finally gave up and came home.”

Zakku sighed again. “He’s such a dick sometimes. He even told me he had a date tonight. Son of a bitch wasn’t just gonna stand you up, he’s going out with another girl.”

I gave another shrug. “Like I said, at least I learned my lesson.”

The doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Zakku said and left me sitting at the kitchen island eating my dinner.

I heard his steps down the hall and the front door opened. “Oh hey Kiba. Need to borrow condoms for your date tonight?”

I couldn’t help but think how weird guys were. _Why wouldn't you just buy your own condoms? Why drive to your friend’s house to get some? But I guess I borrow tampons so maybe it’s not so different. How dare Kiba come here on his way to his real date? Who does that?_

“Did… did you seriously just ask me that?” Kiba stuttered out.

“Yes dude. Do you need them or not? We're trying to eat dinner,” Zakku snapped.

There was a long pause before Kiba said, “I’m here to pick up your sister.”

My eyes went wide and I stopped mid-chew. The pizza dropped to my plate and I walked out into the hallway where I could see the front door. They heard me walk up and both looked at me.

Kiba was standing in the open doorway looking bewildered. He was wearing a long sleeved maroon button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Dark wash jeans. Nice, clean sneakers. Nice silver watch. Glasses. He had his hair styled. I could even smell his cologne. He looked at me and I felt like I was going to pass out.

“Oh fuck,” I said quietly. “You were serious.”

He held his hands up, even more confused than before, looking between the two of us. “Yeah no shit. Zakku, I told you I had a date tonight.”

“Yeah but you didn’t say it was with my sister!”

“You didn’t ask! I assumed you knew!”

Zakku looked back at me, a sort of pleading look in his eyes.

“Give me 20 minutes,” I said and ran upstairs.

“I’ll wait in the car,” Kiba said and turned around.

Zakku slammed the door and followed me upstairs. “Please tell me you’re not actually going out with him,” he said as he stood by my bedroom window. He had the curtain pulled back slightly, looking down at Kiba’s car and willing it to catch on fire.

“Three days ago you were totally fine with me going on a date with your friends. What’s different today?” I asked as I stood in my bathroom, changing out of my sweatpants and t-shirt and into a dress. I came out into the room and sat at my vanity to quickly put on some makeup. 

“Sasuke and Neji sure, they never talk to anybody and they wouldn’t touch you. But Kiba?” He looked back at me, “You don’t hear the stories he tells about his dates.”

“Okay, then tell me the stories. I’ll try to keep my feminine delicacies in check,” I said sarcastically as I applied mascara.

Zakku grunted. “Just… don’t let him pay for everything. Make sure you take your own money.”

“Why’s that?”

He rubbed the back of his head. “You know. There’s that... expectation… when a guy pays for everything on a date.”

I paused what I was doing and looked at my brother. “Did you ever read those articles Shikamaru sent you?”

“That’s not the point, this isn’t about me!” He snapped and looked back out the window, going back to glaring daggers down at Kiba. “But yes I read some of them.”

I finished my mascara and started picking out jewelry. “Look, Zakku, I had a really long, really awkward heart-to-heart talk with Mom this summer about a lot of stuff. I can handle a date with Kiba, trust me.” 

He looked back at me again like he wanted to ask for more details, but decided better of it. He looked back out the window. “I want you home by 10.”

“Fuck you.”

\-----------------------------------

I opened the front door and saw Kiba leaning against his car playing on his phone. When he saw me he pushed off the car and walked toward the house to meet me halfway. Zakku was very quietly standing behind me in the open doorway, glaring at his friend.

“You call me if you need anything,” He told me in a dark tone, making sure to say it loud enough for Kiba to hear.

I rolled my eyes. “Yup. Sure will. Thanks, see you later.”

Kiba held out his elbow for me and I hooked my hand inside. He gave one last wave to Zakku as we walked down the driveway to his car. Zakku was still standing in our open doorway as we drove away. He was still standing there when we were down the street and turning out of the neighborhood.

I didn’t say anything as we drove, I was digging around in my purse looking for my phone.

Kiba looked over at me and cleared his throat. “You look really nice tonight. Green is a great color on you.”

“Thanks,” I said as I found my phone and opened my text messages. “I have a black dress that I like better, but I didn’t do laundry since I thought you were joking about our date.”

“Who are you texting?” He asked.

“Sakura. I told her I would help her study tonight for her anatomy exam but now I need to tell her I can’t.”

“Wow, you really didn’t think I was serious about our date,” he said, maybe with a hint of hurt in his voice.

“Put yourself in my shoes, Kiba,” I said as I put my phone down and turned toward him. “Imagine you get asked out by someone you really like and get stood up, left at the movie theater by yourself. You never ask the person what happened because you’re shy and awkward and you just assume it’s something that couldn’t be avoided. Then a year later the same someone asks you out again and you say yes because you still like the person and you’re still under the impression that the first time was an accident. Again you're stood up, but this time you hear from your friends that the person didn’t show up because they were just kidding when they asked you out. A year later, when you get asked out a third time by the same person, do you really think you’d believe it?”

He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m really sorry about that, by the way. I know I’ve been a dick to you in the past.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“But you said you still liked me the second time I asked you out. Did you still like me the third time?” He asked. I knew he was just trying to make me blush and trip up my words, because three months ago that would have been my exact reaction. 

**You don’t want a guy who’s looking for a fangirl to fawn over him.** “Yes. I thought over the summer I had gotten over you, but later I realized that I still had a crush on you.” **Be direct and honest. Don’t play mind games and drop hints, because you’ll never get what you want that way.**

He seemed taken aback at the blunt honesty. It took a minute for him to respond. “Well, that’s good to hear. I’m glad.”

I looked at him. “That’s it? You’re glad I still like you?”

He shrugged, “I mean, yeah, I am glad. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What made you decide to ask me out for real this time?” 

He shrugged. “I've always seen you as kind of a sister, or at least someone who's off limits because of Zakku, but when I saw you on the first day of school I could tell something was different about you. Something that didn't let me think of you as off limits anymore.”

“What was that? My nice new perky ass and tan skin from beach volleyball all summer?” I asked.

His face immediately flushed crimson. He wasn’t expecting that and his reaction made me smirk. 

He fumbled over his words, still trying to concentrate on the road. “No! I mean… yes, I did notice that stuff but… that wasn’t it. I… I don’t know… I’m still trying to figure it out. That’s why I asked you out, so I could actually get to know you better.”

I relaxed and my haughty smile softened to a flirtier grin. “I appreciate the honesty. So let’s get to know each other better.”

\-----------------------------------

Kiba insisted on buying the movie tickets and snacks. I told him I would pay for dinner in return, but he again insisted that I let him take care of it. 

Every time we got out of the car, he made me wait while he got out, walked around, and opened the door for me to help me out. It was the same thing when we got back in the car - I had to wait for him to come up, open the door, let me in, and shut the door behind me. He would even walk ahead as we got closer to a building to make sure he opened every door and held it open. I was really, really sick of it.

The last straw was when he pulled my chair out for me at the restaurant. I spoke as he took the seat across from me, “Stop acting so gentlemanly. It’s coming off really disingenuous.” 

He looked shocked. “Disingenuous?” He certainly thought that all girls wanted to be tested this way, with doors held open for them and dates paid for. Some sort of a throw back to the times of chivalry. 

**For some reason there are people out there who think they are empowering women by telling them that they deserve to be treated like precious china dolls. It’s not empowering, it’s infantilizing.**

“Yes, disingenuous,” I said. “You have never held a door open for me before tonight. Am I supposed to believe that you’re suddenly a perfect gentleman?” _Maybe even let my guard down, let you put your hand up my shirt because you’re such a gentleman? Have sex with you because you’re such a gentleman and you’ll know how to treat me right?_

He was saved from my question by our waiter walking up to the table. We placed our drink orders and Kiba scowled down at his menu. 

I scowled at him for a moment before something clicked in my brain: I wasn't being a very good date. 

I reached over and put my hand on top of his so that he would look at me. “I’m sorry, Kiba. I realize I’m just being an abrasive bitch. I know you’re trying to do what you think girls like and appreciate, but I just want you to be yourself. We’re getting to know each other, remember? I can’t do that if you’re spending all your time acting how you think I want you to act.”

He stared at me for a moment before his shoulders relaxed and he let out a long sigh. “Up until tonight I considered myself an expert at first dates. You’re really throwing me for a loop here, Ker.” 

“Maybe that’s why you’re an expert at first dates, but not the second or third dates?” I teased.

He shrugged, “Fair point.” He waited a moment before smirking at me and asking, “My expert opinion used to be that there was no kissing on the first date. Is that going to be wrong, too?” He was trying to get me to blush again.

“Hmm,” I thought about it while I looked over the menu, making sure to take a deep breath to tamp down the blood trying to rush to my face. “We’ll see. You’ve made more progress in the last five minutes than the whole three hours before this.”

His smirk got a little wider. “So what are my chances for a second date?”

“Very high, but the second date is my choice.” 

\-----------------------------------

Kiba walked me to my front door at the end of the night and waited while I got my keys out of my purse. 

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked.

“Yeah, I know it’s short notice, but we just finally convinced Naruto yesterday that laser tag was a bad idea for his first date with Hinata,” I said as I unlocked the door. “And we figured a group date to the beach will work a lot better for Hinata, too. I’m not sure what she would do if she had to sit next to Naruto in a dark movie theater for 3 hours. Probably pass out.”

I felt him take a step closer to me, his fingers lightly touching my elbow. “You planning on showing me some of your new volleyball skills?” He breathed into my ear, sending cascades of hot breath down my neck.

**It doesn’t matter how confident and strong and aloof you are in the end, really. Eventually a guy is going to do something that turns you into putty in his hands. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing...**

I managed to keep my knees from buckling as I turned to face him, planting my sweaty palm flat on his chest so that he could feel the heat through his shirt. “Maybe if you’re lucky I’ll wear my new bikini, the one I use when I don't want tan lines.” 

**...You just have to find a way to turn it back on him and make him putty in your hands. **

I could feel his heart pounding in his chest. I leaned forward, keeping my lips just a few inches away from his as I whispered, “And I’ll teach you how to dive, really get down there in the dirt and get what you want.” 

His hand tightened on my elbow and his other hand grabbed my hip. He started leaning in and I pushed him back, smirking in that same way he always smirked at me.

“I heard from an expert that you’re not supposed to kiss on the first date,” I said, still smirking. I opened the front door and stepped inside my house. “See you in the morning, Kiba.”

I heard him clear his throat and stammer, “G-Goodnight Ker,” right before I shut the door.

I spied on him through the peephole in the door. He stood there for a few seconds staring at the door before he shook his head, reached down in his jeans to adjust his erection, and walked down the driveway to his car. I smiled, satisfied with myself, and went upstairs to masturbate before I could talk myself into calling him and asking him to come back.

Old me would have crumbled right into Kiba's arms on the doorstep, letting him do whatever he wanted with me even at the expense of my own pleasure and desires. 

New me wanted to grab him by the front of his shirt, drag him upstairs, and have her way with him. New me never would have even made it to the front door, instead opting to climb into the backseat of his car right there in the driveway. 

Unfortunately, new me didn't shave this week because she didn't know she had a date. New me made sure to take a shower and shave before crawling into bed that night.


	4. Second Date

Zakku and I got up early the next morning to start packing everything into our cars. Everyone had their own supplies they were supposed to bring: chairs, umbrellas, coolers filled with ice, food, drinks, footballs, frisbees, volleyballs, and anything else we thought might help keep everyone entertained all day. 

Neji and Tenten were going to ride with Zakku and Ino, Sasuke and Sakura were riding with Naruto and Hinata, and Kiba and I were going alone in my car so that we could take Akamaru and my dog Donut. 

“Are you sure you don't want to bring Zeus?” I asked Zakku one last time as everyone started arriving.

“Are you kidding me? I'd have to keep that idiot dog on a leash and that's not fair to him or me,” he responded. “Besides, do you really wanna be crammed in your car with three big dogs and Kiba?”

I shrugged. _I wouldn't mind being crammed anywhere with Kiba._ “I guess you're right. I hope he doesn't get too lonely while we're gone.”

All of our friends slowly trickled their way to our house and we spent some time moving stuff in between cars. It wasn't until we were getting ready to leave that we realized someone was missing.

“Anyone heard from Kiba?” Zakku asked. 

Everyone looked at their phones for any missed calls or text messages, and then looked at each other, shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders.

“I'll call him,” I said and went inside to grab my phone and my bag. The line rang a few times before going to voicemail. I didn't leave a message and hung up. 

“He didn't answer,” I said as I walked up to the cars where everyone was waiting.

“Should we keep waiting?” Hinata asked. 

“No, I'll just go over there and pick him up. You guys go ahead and the two of us will meet you there,” I said. I didn't want to wait too long and Hinata get nervous and decide to cancel the whole day and go home just because one person wasn't showing up. I got Donut from the backyard and loaded her into the backseat of my car. As I got in, Zakku walked up to me.

“You sure you don't want me to pick him up?” He asked.

I cocked an eyebrow. “Why wouldn't I pick up my own date? Why would I force him to be a fifth wheel in someone else's car?”

Zakku ran a hand up and down the side of his face, thinking. “I don't know. I still don't trust him.”

“If he’s really that bad of a guy, then why are you friends with him?” I asked as I started the car engine.

“It’s not that he’s a bad guy,” Zakku started. “It’s just… you’re my sister and… I’m worried he’s just leading you on like before and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I sighed. “I think a part of me is worried about it, too, but I'll always regret not finding out for sure. Just… have some trust in your sister and your best friend. Please?”

It was his turn to sigh. “Fine, but I still don’t like it.”

I shrugged. “That’s fine, you don’t have to like it. You just have to do it.” I rolled up my window, gave a little wave, and backed out of the driveway.

\-----------------------------------

I pulled up to Kiba’s house and saw his car in the driveway. I left the back windows rolled down for Donut, walked up to the front door, and rang the doorbell.

And then rang it again a few minutes later.

I was about to ring it a third time when I heard the deadbolt turning, unlocking the door.

I took a small step back as the door opened. Kiba was standing there shirtless, wearing pajama pants, his hair matted to the side of his head and his eyes still full of sleep crusts.

“Hey, you feeling okay? I tried to call you,” I said.

He yawned and opened the door the rest of the way, waving me inside. “Sorry I guess I slept through my alarm. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. “Why not?”

He started walking towards the back of the house and I followed. He went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, splashed some water on his face, and rubbed a little water in his hair so that it didn’t look so crazy. I waited patiently for his answer, leaning against the doorframe.

He let out a long sigh and turned to face me, leaning his hip against the bathroom counter. “I can’t explain why, but I have this compulsion to be completely honest and open with you about everything.”

“Okay, good. That’s what I want in this relationship. I’ll be completely honest and open with you, too,” I said.

He sighed again and crossed his arms across his chest. “I couldn’t sleep last night because I couldn’t stop thinking about how bad I wanted to fuck you.”

I choked a little on my spit. “After one date?” I fought so hard to keep my eyes on his face and not let them drift down. Down his chest, down his arms, his stomach.

He shrugged. “Yeah, I can’t explain it. I never felt that way about you before, but now I do.”

I hesitated a moment before asking, “Should we go on a second date? You seem pretty intense right now.”

“Yes I would very much like to go to the beach with you today and swim and play volleyball and sit around a bonfire and all that shit, but I understand if you don’t want to anymore. You should still go, just tell everyone I’m sick or something.”

I thought about it for a minute. I couldn’t fault him for being open and honest - I had literally just told him that’s what I wanted. I also couldn’t fault him for wanting to have sex with me because I sure as hell wanted to have sex with him. Besides, there was something appealing about the way he had said he wanted to fuck me. It was matter-of-fact, which I was used to with Shikamaru and knew I liked, but it was also different than what I was used to at this point; it had passion behind it, and I realized that I really liked that.

I tucked my arms behind my back and leaned back against the wall, unconsciously changing my body language to be more open and revealing. “No, I still want to go with you. But maybe we try and slow things down a little?”

He nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.”

“Good. Now get dressed and let’s go, I’ve got Donut in the car.”

He laughed a little and shook his head, “I still can’t believe you named your dog Donut.”

\-----------------------------------

Twelve hours later, Kiba and I were parked in an empty parking lot of a strip mall that had closed down for the night. 

Akamaru and Donut were curled up in the front seats and we were in the backseat pawing at each other. Our skin was sticky with sweat and sunscreen residue and we were a little sandy, but we didn’t care.

Our kisses were hard and hungry as our hands explored each other. One of Kiba’s hands was planted on the car door next to my head to prop himself up and he knelt over me as his other hand groped one bare breast, his thumb flicking across my nipple. I groaned into his mouth and knotted my fingers in his hair, pulling at the roots. I used my other hand to untie his swim trunks and pull them down around his thighs. I quickly grabbed his rock hard erection and stroked it a few times, pulling it down a little to push against my bikini bottoms.

I pulled his head back a little so I could whisper into his lips, “I want you to feel how hot and wet you make me.”

He groaned and adjusted himself, moving his forearm underneath my head and propping himself up on an elbow so that our chests were nearly touching. The hand that had been on my breast moved down and slipped into my bikini bottoms. He moved his fingers in a small circle, pressing lightly on my clit.

I groaned again and pumped my hand a little faster on his cock. “Finger fuck me,” I breathed into his neck.

He obliged, quickly sticking his middle finger inside me and pumping it in and out. Before long he added another finger and kept pumping, leaving his palm flat on my clit to keep the pressure and fiction there.

I started panting and tried to time my stroking with his thrusting. 

He was also panting, every now and then letting a small moan slip out as he buried his face in my hair. He continued ramming his fingers in and out of me, his palm hitting wonderfully against my clit with each thrust.

I put my free hand on the arm he was using to prop himself up and dug in my nails a little. “Come on, Kiba. You don't have to be quiet. Tell me how much you like it,” I said with a moan and lightly bit his bicep.

He let out one long, loud moan and bit the skin behind my ear. “Fuck… God it feels so good… Fuck... I'm gonna come.”

I quickly pushed him up so that he was sitting back on his heels, doing my best to keep the same rhythm and speed in the handjob. I bent down and put my mouth around his head, sucking lightly and pressing my tongue flat against his frenulum. I stroked a little faster and slid my tongue up and down.

One of his hands grabbed a handful of my hair while the other slammed onto the headrest next to him, trying to keep his balance. His panting quickened for a few seconds before he sputtered out, “F-Fuck,” and I tasted come filling my mouth. 

I slowed down the stroking and, once I felt he was done, gently pulled my mouth away. I looked around for something to spit into but couldn't find anything so I grimaced, swallowed the bitter liquid, and then grabbed a water bottle so I could swish out my mouth.

Kiba watched me, still kneeling on the seat and breathing heavily. When I finished, he gently pushed me back down and hovered over me.

And there was that visual I kept seeing over and over in my daydreams: His flushed face hovering over my face, pieces of sweaty hair stuck to his forehead, a look of bliss on his face that I knew I had caused. 

I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his lips down to mine. The kiss was sweeter now, not ravenous like before. He slid his hand back down between my legs and gently reinserted his fingers, taking his time now to make sure he had a good rhythm and was hitting the right spot. 

He kept his mouth on mine as I started moaning again. I broke away for a second to breathe better. He started pumping faster and harder.

“Come for me baby,” he breathed onto my lips as his mouth met mine again. All I could do was whine in ecstasy and dig my nails into his back. I felt the muscles in my legs and lower stomach tightening, causing my hips to push up into his hand. He responded by thrusting even harder and faster. If it hadn't felt so god damn amazing I may have been worried about bruising.

Finally the tension released and I let out a shuddering moan as I orgasmed. “Oh God, God oh fuck Kiba!” He pulled me a little closer to his chest, letting me sink my nails into his shoulders as my hips bucked involuntarily for a few seconds. 

He slowly pulled his hand away when I was done, running it flat along my side as he brought it up to his face and stuck his fingers in his mouth, sucking them clean. 

“I love the way you taste,” he growled and put his mouth on my nipple, feverishly swirling his tongue. I could feel a new erection pressing against my inner thigh.

I put my hands on his shoulders and lightly pushed him back. He looked at me, confused.

“I thought we were going to try and take it slow?” I asked, knowing that I was the one who quickly pulled into the empty parking lot in the first place.

A sudden clarity flooded into his eyes, replacing the intensity that had been there before. The same intensity that made me start searching for parking lots on our way home.

He sat up and pulled his swim trunks back up, adjusting his boner as much as he could to be more comfortable. 

I sat next to him and fixed my top, retying it where he had nearly torn the string in his hurry to get it off. He pulled me over into his lap, wrapped his arms around my waist, and nuzzled into my neck.

“You're right, I'm sorry,” he said.

We sat there for a few minutes, coming down from our highs. I gently ran my fingers through his tangled hair, massaging his scalp with my fingertips. He slowly rubbed a hand up and down my back. It was an incredibly intimate moment that I wished never had to end.

He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. “We should go. I'm sure Zakku is wondering where you are.”

I nodded and scooted off his lap. We climbed back into the front seat and left.

\-----------------------------------

Kiba was silent the whole way home, clenching his jaw and grinding his teeth as he thought. What the fuck was he going to do now? He couldn't follow through with this stupid bet. He couldn't just take Kerii's virginity and dump her. And he sure didn't deserve a relationship with her, not after all this. Why couldn't it be like usual where he didn't care about a girl's feelings? Earlier, why hadn't he just come and then fallen asleep like usual? 

Because he wanted to make her happy. He wanted to be the one to give her so much pleasure. Because she deserved it. And she deserved to know the truth.

They pulled into his driveway and she put the car in park. She looked over at him, grinning. A genuine, happy, contented grin. His heart broke a little.

“Kerii, I have to tell you something,” he started, trying to look everywhere but her face.

Her grin dropped. She could tell this wasn't going to be good.

“I never wanted to tell you this, but fuck I can't get this nagging thought out of the back of my head that I need to tell you,” he continued.

She frowned.

“On the first day of school, I made a bet with the guys that I would take your virginity before graduation,” he was speaking quickly now, trying to get it all out before he lost the rest of his nerve, “I tried to tell myself that sex was the only reason I asked you out, but now I realize it's not. You're still the same Kerii, but you've also changed and fuck I love it,” his voice quivered.

She scowled. 

“I want to be with you, I want to be with you so bad it hurts, but I can't do this when I know it was all instigated by a stupid fucking bet.”

She was still scowling. “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I was going to tell you I couldn't go out with you anymore, and I didn't want you to think it was your fault. I fucked this up before it even started and I'm so sorry. You deserve someone better, not a scumbag like me.”

She stared at him for a few moments. Kiba could see her processing all the information. 

It felt like an eternity before she spoke again. “Get out,” her voice cracked a little, “I never want to see you again.”

He just bowed his head and got out, calling Akamaru to follow him. As soon as he shut the car door, she was backing down the driveway. He stood in the driveway watching her.

She backed into the street and stopped for a moment to roll down her window.

He took a step toward her car, but didn't get very close before she shouted out the window, “You're a fucking idiot, by the way. I'm not even a virgin!” She drove off.

He watched her go, standing in his driveway with Akamaru at his side. They looked at each other once the car was out of sight, Akamaru cocking his head at his owner.

Kiba sighed and patted the dog's head. “Yeah I'm a fucking idiot.”


	5. Promposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short kind-of-transition chapter

The next few weeks were torture as I tried to process everything Kiba had told me. 

I wanted to immediately go home and tell Zakku and my friends all about the bet the guys had made, but when I got home that night, I saw my phone had been bombarded with text messages. It was a group text with Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten and they were gushing about how well their beach dates had gone and how much they all liked their new boyfriends. 

Who was I to ruin those new relationships? And who was I to ruin my brother's long-time friendships? Sure what they did was awful and insensitive, but my hurt feelings weren't worth tearing apart ten people, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. When everyone asked why Kiba and I weren’t dating anymore, I just gave a generic ‘We decided it wasn’t working out’ answer and left it at that.

Kiba started making up excuses so that he could avoid our house. There were a few times when the guys wouldn't accept his excuses and forced him to come over anyways, but it didn't really matter because now I hardly ever left my room.

I was busy, after all. I had decided to go to Australia with Hana and I needed time to prepare and study before I left. Zakku and my friends weren't happy when I told them, but they all understood what a great opportunity it was.

I had also decided that I didn't want to have sex with Shikamaru anymore. We hadn’t slept together since the beach that summer, but I know it just wouldn’t be the same after being with Kiba who held so much passion and desire for me. I couldn't go back to an indifferent Shikamaru. 

When Shikamaru asked me why, I told him the whole story. It felt good to get it off my chest and he was a good neutral party. He was understanding and never called me for a booty call.

\-----------------------------------

Towards the end of the school year, Shikamaru and I were sitting out in the parking lot after school. I was waiting for Zakku to finish practice, Shikamaru was just being nice and keeping me company while I waited.

“You wanna go to prom with me?” He asked and took a drag from his cigarette.

“Why would I want to go to prom?” I responded.

He shrugged. “Everyone else is going. Plus I could use a wingman.”

“I'm not an expert on the subject matter, but I'm pretty sure your date isn't supposed to be your wingman,” I said.

“For this it makes sense. I'm trying to make Temari jealous.” He took another drag from his cigarette.

“Fuck her, why would I help you get with her?” Temari, my unofficial school rival. I thought I had been done with her when she graduated last year. 

When I decided to try out for the track team captain position last year, she also decided to try out and beat me for the position. There was a boy I liked freshman year who liked me back and she asked him out before I got the chance. She didn't even like him, but by the time she dumped him he was too lovesick to like me anymore. She was always just a little bit better than me.

“She's going with Kiba,” Shikamaru answered.

I growled. “Fuck him, too. They deserve each other. She's probably only going with him because she knows he and I have a history.” Just another way for her to best me at something.

“So you don't want the chance to show him what he's missing? What he fucked up?” Shikamaru asked with a sly grin.

“No, don't you remember all those articles we read? You don't get what you want with mind games,” I argued.

“Yeah, but do you even know what you want?”

I thought for a moment. “No, I don't know.”

“Then it's not mind games. It's just helping a friend get laid with the possible side benefit of you getting laid.”

I groaned. “Fine I'll go with you. But if it doesn't work out, I'm not sleeping with you at the end of the night.”

He finished his cigarette and snuffed it out on the pavement next to him. “Deal.”

“Oh hey I heard a juicy rumor today, you wanna hear it?” I asked.

“Not really.”

“You'll like this one, I promise,” I insisted.

He sighed. “Okay what?”

“Apparently you and I spent half the summer fucking each other's brains out and we're totally sex experts now.”

He looked at me and asked, “How did that get out?”

I shrugged. “Dunno, but it explains why I got asked on dates almost everyday this month”

He smirked. “Temari's gonna be so jealous seeing us together at prom now.”

I truly had no intentions of going to prom before Shikamaru asked me, but he was right - deep down some part of me wanted revenge, wanted to show Kiba what he had missed out on. 

But, revenge for what? He had told me everything, after all. He had admitted the mistake very early in our relationship and knew how serious it was. He said I deserved better, and I agreed. So why was I still so hung up on him?


	6. Prom

The Saturday of prom arrived and I got dragged out of bed at 8am to start getting ready. Tenten had stayed over the night before and she had prepared a whole day’s worth of pampering to get us ready for the night. Nail appointments, hair appointments, makeup appointments - all that crap I would have been fine without. 

I was actually surprised that it was Tenten dragging me along and not Sakura.

We finally finished with all of our appointments around 2pm and went back to my house for a late lunch. Zakku was just getting up.

Tenten and I ran into Zakku in the kitchen. His hair reeked of bedhead and he hadn’t even bothered to put on pants or shorts over his boxers. 

“Morning, sunshine,” I said sarcastically.

“Go back to bed, overachiever,” he replied sleepily.

“Not my choice. Tenten made me.”

Tenten smiled. “And don’t you feel so nice with a new haircut and professional makeup?”

I shrugged. “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”

“Go spend another six hours getting ready and leave me alone,” Zakku complained. 

“Don’t be such a baby,” I said. “And you might wanna start getting ready soon. Ino and Sakura are bringing Hinata by in a little bit.”

“Why?” he asked.

“So we can talk about boys,” it sounded like a joke, but I was serious.

He just shook his head and carried his lunch to the dining room. “I confirmed the party bus, by the way. It'll be here at 5:30,” he said before he disappeared around the corner.

Tenten and I grabbed something to share and went up to my room.

“So, you and Neji are getting pretty serious now, huh?” I asked as I shut my door behind us.

“Yeah,” she said with a smile. “I think we're going to sleep together tonight.”

“Lose your virginity on prom night? How terribly cliche of you,” I joked. “And I love it. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.” 

She blushed a little. “Okay.”

\-----------------------------------

The rest of the girls got there about half an hour later; Hinata, Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and myself all crowded in my room sitting on any open surface we could find. We speculated about what the decorations were going to look like, who was going with who, who was going to have sex, who was going to keep waiting, who was going to get completely hammered at the after party. 

I got asked for every sex tip I could think of. Now that word had spread about me and Shikamaru, the questions had come at a disturbing rate - both from my friends and people I hardly knew. I was usually happy to oblige, but sometimes a girl just wants to eat her lunch in peace and not give tips on how to give better blowjobs.

Zakku knocked on my door around 5pm to let us know that the guys were starting to show up. We had all split the cost of renting a party bus and were planning on partying at our house after prom. We decided it was easier for everyone to meet at our house so that, when they inevitably fell asleep after the party, their cars were already here when they got up in the morning.

The girls and I got dressed and starting rewrapping cords around hair dryers and curling irons, putting bottles of hair product back into cosmetic bags, and just did some general tidying and last-minute touch-ups to hair and makeup and clothes. When we finally came downstairs, all the guys were waiting by the door for us. 

By pure coincidence – I swear it was just a coincidence – the first person I saw was Kiba. He had tried to get out of going with us, but the guys wouldn't listen to his excuses, and so here he was. 

His hair was styled and I could smell his cologne. The smell of it always took me right back to that night in the back of my car after our beach date. His suit and shirt were black and he wore a white tie and white belt. I was confused for a moment because he matched my own black and white dress, but then I saw Temari walk over and hook her arm into his. Her dress was almost identical to mine: black and white, strapless, sweetheart neckline (though hers was cut a little deeper than mine), empire waist, floor length. I clenched my fists into white knuckles to keep from walking over and slapping her right in front of God and everybody. She stole my captain position on the track team, she stole my dress, and she stole my prom date.

And that’s when I realized that I wasn’t over Kiba.

I sulked down the last few stairs and out to the bus waiting for all of us outside. 

\-----------------------------------

I didn’t talk much during dinner, but I loosened up once we got to the dance. I tried to forget about the jealousy I was feeling and just have fun, but it was harder than I had expected. 

I tried to make a point to not see Kiba and Temari dancing, but it was hard when Shikamaru was trying to make a point to let Temari see the two of us dancing. As the night dragged on, I just kept getting angrier at the whole situation and decided I was going to ham it up. Everyone already knew about mine and Shikamaru’s past so it wasn't hard to make it look like we were one song away from tearing each other's clothes off right there on the dancefloor. 

When a slow song came on, I took a break to go to the bathroom. 

When I came back out, Temari and Shikamaru were dancing much in the same way he and I had been dancing less than five minutes before.

I rolled my eyes and went to go sit at one of the tables. I pulled my phone out of my clutch and started playing on it.

After a few minutes, I heard someone clear their throat and I looked up. Kiba was standing next to me, asking permission to sit down.

I considered it for a moment, then pulled the chair out for him and put my phone away.

He sat down and leaned into my ear so that I could hear him over the music, “Looks like both of our dates ditched us.”

“Yeah, well, that's what I get for being his wingman so… good for him?” I said with a shrug and held up my hands.

“So you're not dating Shikamaru?” He asked.

I shook my head. “Nope. He wanted me to help him make Temari jealous so that he could get laid.”

Kiba leaned back for a moment, biting his lower lip slightly as he thought.

“What?” I asked. I could tell he was trying to work up the nerve for something.

He hesitated a second before leaning back in. “Is it true about you and Shikamaru?”

“Which part?”

“So that means at least part of it's true, then?”

I nodded.

He hesitated again. “Do you like him?”

I shook my head. “Nope. It was purely physical, and it's been over for a long time.”

More hesitation. “How long?”

“Why do you want to know?” I asked.

“Honestly, I don't know. I know it's not fair to say this, and it's none of my business and a selfish thing to think, but I guess I'm hoping it was before us.”

“That is very selfish and unfair and none of your business,” I said, and then added, “And it's also true. The last time was over the summer.”

He relaxed and leaned back again. I realized that he was sitting sideways in his chair fully facing me, his legs spread out on either side of me so that he could lean in easier. My eyes quickly moved down his face, chest, and stomach to his open legs. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from putting my hands on his knees and running them up his thighs. I bit so hard that I tasted blood.

If he noticed me looking, he didn't say anything. 

He leaned back in one last time and said, “Okay, I'll leave you alone. Sorry.” He got up and walked away.

I put my head into one of my hands and breathed out a, “Fuck.”


	7. Prom Part 2

Eventually prom ended and we all loaded back up onto the bus. We were all sweaty and ready to change into more comfortable clothes. 

All the girls came upstairs and grabbed their overnight bags from my room before going back downstairs to find their boyfriends.

I changed into shorts and a crop top and worked on toning down my makeup and hair to make it less prom-like. I wanted to wash it all off and wear sweatpants and a t-shirt, but I figured I’d do my best to not be a party pooper tonight. 

When I came back downstairs, Kiba was the only one around.

“Where is everybody?” I asked.

He shrugged as he stood at the kitchen island making himself a rum and coke. He had changed and was wearing a black t shirt and jeans. “Not sure, but I keep hearing these noises that make me think they're all fucking.”

“Well,” I started as I walked over to the island and made my own rum and coke, “At least no one's using my bed, so that's something I can be thankful for.”

“Cheers to that,” he responded and held out his plastic cup to tap against mine.

I tapped my cup against his and we both drank. We stood there awkwardly for a moment, him inspecting the flecks in the stone countertop and me looking at my nails, willing my eyes to stay there and not drift over to him in his tight t shirt.

“So…” I said.

“Beer pong?” He suggested.

“Yes please,” I responded and we walked into the dining room where we had set up the table for beer pong.

We didn't really talk as we played, and as the game progressed the erotic noises in the house got louder. I couldn't help but imagine those erotic noises coming from mine and Kiba's mouths instead.

I eventually had to go turn on the stereo to drown it all out. The stereo connected to my phone's Bluetooth and started playing the power metal playlist I had been listening to earlier.

“Is… is this Blind Guardian?” He asked as I walked back into the dining room.

“It sure is. You like them?”

“Are you kidding me? I've been listening to their new album on a fucking loop all week,” he responded and held his hand out, forming a claw as he belted, “_Haaaaail all these non-believers,_” along with the song.

I made my own claw and joined him for the chorus, “_Witness the twilight of the gods, will they ever return?_”

We both laughed and put our hands down.

“I never would have thought you listened to music like this,” Kiba said as he tossed a ping pong ball - he missed.

“Yeah? Why's that?” I responded and tossed my own ball - it landed.

He downed the beer before responding, “I guess I just never really thought about what music you listen to.” He tossed another ball and landed it. As I drank, he continued, “I never really did get a chance to get to know you like I wanted. I was too busy thinking with my dick.”

I nearly choked on my beer. 

“You okay?” He asked with a half smile, not his usual smirk.

“Yup, fine,” I said and coughed a little. “Just... still getting used to super honest Kiba.” 

He chuckled a little and smiled. I felt my knees go a little weak. I was so used to his smirk that it had lost its effect on me, but his smile made my heart skip a beat.

“So what do you like to do in your free time?” He asked.

“Free time?” I responded.

“Yeah, you know, after track and homework and everything. What do you like to do?”

I realized neither of us had thrown a ball, so I tossed one. “Mostly play video games and read.” The ball missed. “What about you?”

“Same, actually,” he said as he tossed a ball and it landed. “What kind of books do you like?”

I drank. “I try to read a little bit of everything, but the only thing that really holds my attention are books set in post-apocalyptic worlds.” I tossed a ball and it landed. “What about you?”

He drank. “I'm mostly into fantasy. Magic, dragons, shit like that.”

He went to toss a ball, but stopped when the music we were listening to shut off. It was quickly replaced by a top 40 playlist.

“Hey, who the fuck changed that? Don't touch my fucking stereo, I was listening to that!” I shouted into the living room.

Zakku walked around the corner. He was shirtless and wearing basketball shorts and his hair was a mess. I never even saw him come downstairs.

He looked back and forth between me and Kiba a few times before settling his eyes on me. “I got a text that people are on their way. No one wants to listen to Viking metal at a party.”

I pointed at Kiba as I said, “We do.”

Zakku didn't say anything. He just looked back at his friend one more time before walking back upstairs.

I rolled my eyes as I watched him ascend the stairs. “I thought people were supposed to be blissful and happy after they got laid.”

Kiba didn't answer. I watched as he aimed his throw, the tip of his tongue poking through his lips in concentration. It landed in my last remaining beer. He pumped his fist and I laughed at how endearingly cute it was.

I downed the drink and took a step back from the table. “Good game, rematch later. Let's play Mario Kart. Loser has to take a shot,” I said as I grabbed my rum and coke and walked into the living room where we had some consoles hooked up to the TV.

Kiba grabbed his own drink and followed me. 

\-----------------------------------

People started arriving and soon the house was full of our classmates. Most of them had changed out of their prom clothes. 

Kiba and I ignored pretty much everyone and just kept playing Mario Kart, a bottle of spiced rum sitting between us.

“No! No! Fuck you, this is horseshit!” I yelled through a laugh as I was blasted off the track. “How do you always get a blue shell right after I get into first place?” I reached over to knock the controller out of Kiba's hand but he held tight, holding it out of my reach. I watched in despair as his character celebrated his first place victory.

“Don't be a sore loser, take the fucking shot!” He yelled, also laughing.

I took a long drink from the half empty bottle sitting between us and grimaced at the burn. I screwed the cap back on and started to pick up my controller for another round, but I stopped when I felt a cold nose press against my shoulder.

I looked back and saw Donut sitting next to me, patiently looking at me. “Oh okay, come on let's go outside,” I said to her as I stood up.

I grabbed Kiba's hand and tried to pull him up. “Come outside with me, I'm letting the dogs out.”

He was way too heavy for me to pull him up, so he just stood on his own, grabbing the rum bottle as he stood.

The room spun a little as I stumbled my way through the sliding glass door and onto the patio attached to the back of the house. I opened the screen door and Donut and Zeus ran outside. I started to sit down at the patio table, but thought better of it when I saw two people sitting in one of the chairs heavily making out.

Kiba followed me as I walked outside and sat down in the grass. He sat next to me, unscrewed the cap on the rum bottle, took a long drink, and handed me the bottle. I took a drink and handed it back. He put the cap back on and set the bottle in the grass between us. I leaned back on my hands and stretched my legs out in front of me, crossing my ankles. He was sitting more upright with his knees bent up slightly and his elbows resting on his knees.

We sat for a few minutes not speaking, just watching the dogs and listening to the sounds of the party inside, enjoying each other's company.

“I don't like parties,” I said finally.

“Really? Because you guys sure throw a lot of them,” he responded.

I shook my head. “Zakku throws a lot of parties. I usually hang out for an hour or two, get drunk, and then lock myself in my room and watch TV until everyone leaves.”

“I think I'd rather do that, too. Parties just aren't worth it if you're not getting laid,” he said and reached for the rum bottle.

“Who says you're not getting laid?” I asked, looking sideways at him and biting my lower lip slightly.

He stopped mid drink, slowly swallowing the rum in his mouth before looking back at me. “Really?”

I shrugged, trying to stay aloof. “Sure.”

“No, ‘sure’ isn't good enough. I need to know you 100% want it, no regrets, before I take you upstairs and fuck your brains out.” He said so evenly, so relaxed, so in control.

My breath caught in my throat. I watched him take another drink, acting so God damn nonchalant about the whole thing.

“Kiba,” I said weakly.

He looked back at me again.

“Please take me upstairs and fuck my brains out,” my voice quivered a little as I said it, heat building in the pit of my stomach.

He capped the bottle one last time and stood up. He turned back and held his hand out to me. I took it and he easily pulled me to my feet. Once I was standing, he moved his hand to my lower back, letting it rest on the bare skin between the top of my shorts and the bottom of my shirt. Goosebumps rolled up my back at the heat of his palm and I started walking back to the house. 

When we stepped inside, Kiba set the rum bottle down on a table. He removed his hand from my back and laced his fingers with mine. “Lead the way,” he whispered in my ear, sending more goosebumps across my skin.

I pulled him upstairs and opened my bedroom door. I flipped the light on and saw a couple I didn't recognize fondling each other on my bed. Luckily they were still wearing most of their clothes.

They didn't seem to notice us as they continued their groping.

Kiba waited about five seconds before he walked over to the bed and grabbed the guy by the back of his shirt, hauling him off the girl and flinging him away from the bed.

“Hey, what the fuck!” The guy shouted as he stumbled a bit. When he regained his footing, he stormed toward Kiba “We were here first!”

Kiba took a step closer to the guy and got in his face, growling, “Get. Out,” in a voice that was completely feral.

“Shit Kiba, I'm sorry dude,” the guy recoiled like a beaten puppy and reached his hand out for the girl. “Come on baby, let's find somewhere else.”

Kiba and I watched as they gathered their few things and scampered out the door. As soon as they were out, I slammed the door and locked it.

I spun around to face Kiba who was still standing by the bed.

“Fuck it was hot to see you take charge like that,” I said as I walked toward him. 

“You like that?” He asked and closed the gap between us, putting his hands on my hips. “You want me to tell you what to do?” He asked as he leaned down and nibbled on the top of my ear.

I grabbed two handfuls of his shirt, barely able to gasp out a, “Yes.”

“Get on your knees,” He growled.

I obeyed, dropping to my knees and placing my hands on the back of his thighs. I could see his erection straining against his jeans.

“Don't just look at it,” he said, “Put it in your mouth.”

I unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down with his boxers, being careful as I pulled not to hurt him. I grabbed the shaft with one hand and rested my other hand on his hip as I hungrily put my mouth around his head. I bobbed my head slowly back and forth a few times to make sure everything was nice and wet before I started moving faster, doing my best to take the whole length and getting closer to it with each bob.

“Take it all, baby,” he groaned and grabbed a handful of my hair.

I removed him from my mouth, but kept my hand pumping as I looked up at him and said, “I don't think I can, it's too big.”

He growled again. “I'll find a hole that can take it all. Get undressed and get in bed.”

I did as he said, shakily stripping off everything as he did the same with his own clothes. 

I got in bed and soon he was on top of me. He positioned himself between my legs, pulling his knees up under my thighs. His mouth attached to one of my nipples and his tongue swirled around it. I moaned and moved to grab his hair, but he caught my hand and pinned it above my head. He grabbed my other hand and did the same with it, keeping both of them pinned with one of his hands as he slid the other down between my legs.

I squirmed and whined as his fingers slowly slid between my wet labia and hooked into me, moving in an out at an excruciating snail's pace.

It only lasted for a few seconds before he removed his hand and released my hands from above my head.

“Fuck, I'm sorry, I don’t have the patience for foreplay right now. I'll go slow at first, okay?” 

I responded with a simple, “Okay,” and reached down to grab his dick. I gave it one slow stroke before I guided the tip to my opening and let go, bringing my hand back up to rest on his shoulder.

He leaned down and kissed me, much softer this time. He pushed in slowly, stopping when he felt me wince.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I'm fine, I'll tell you if it hurts, I promise.”

He responded, “Okay good,” and pulled out a little before pushing back in, getting a little deeper this time before I winced. It took a few more tries before he was completely inside me, his hips flush against mine.  
He kept his word and went slow at first. He kept the same slow, gentle rhythm until I told him he could move a little faster.

It wasn't long before our patience ran out and my legs were wrapped around his waist as his hips slammed into mine.

We tried to kiss, but I was bouncing back and forth too much and our lips wouldn't stay connected. 

He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled, bringing our torsos closer together.

I unwrapped my legs so that I could reach down and grab a handful of his ass, digging my nails in as I simultaneously bit into his shoulder to suppress the noises I was making.

He grunted when I bit down, “Ow, fuck.”

I let go and looked at him. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.”

“No. Do it. Again,” he said between pants and moved his hand from my waist to my ass, grabbing his own handful and digging his nails in.

I bit into a different part of his shoulder, trying to mimic the pressure I had used before. His body shuddered and his rhythm died for a second before it picked up again, even more fierce now.

My head fell back in ecstasy and his mouth attached to my shoulder as he gave his own love bites.

“God Kerii I'm gonna come,” he gasped into my neck.

I put my mouth to his ear and whispered, “Come in my pussy, baby.”

Two more pumps and he orgasmed, groaning loudly as he buried his face in my neck.

We laid there for a few minutes in the same position, him still inside me as I lightly ran my nails up and down his back. It was another intimate moment that I didn't want to end, just like after our beach date in the back of the car, but it had to as he went completely soft and slipped out of me. Thank God for birth control.

He rolled over and propped himself up on an elbow to look down at me. “Okay I got my chance to be selfish. It’s your turn now.”

I sighed and rolled onto my side to face him. “Right now I'm so worn out I just want to sleep.” I scooted a little closer and buried my face in his chest, taking a deep breath to consume his smell. Cologne, sweat, deodorant, and the natural smell of his skin combined in an intoxicating cocktail. This was the first time I'd ever really smelled it and it felt like I couldn't get enough.

He chuckled and put his arms around me, pulling me closer. “Tomorrow then?” He asked.

“Deal,” I said and pulled the blanket up to cover us both.


	8. The Next Day

I woke up before Kiba the next morning and immediately got up to shower. My hair was still full of styling products from the night before, my makeup was smeared everywhere, and I had an uncomfortable layer of sweat on my entire body.

Kiba was still sleeping when I got out so I walked over to the bed and kissed the side of his face to wake him up.

He groaned and opened his eyes, looking confused for a moment before turning and looking at me.

I smiled and he smiled back.

“Morning,” I said and kissed him on the nose.

“So last night wasn't just some drunken wet dream?” He asked and sat up.

I shook my head. “Nope. You hungry? I can make us some eggs.”

He quickly reached out and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into bed. “I was thinking of eating something else for breakfast,” he said with a slight growl in his voice. He leaned in and started kissing down my jaw line.

My voice was a little shaky as I responded, “Later.” I cleared my throat. “You should take a shower.”

He lifted an arm and sniffed his armpit, grimacing. “Yeah I do reek. Do me a favor when you go downstairs?” He asked as he climbed out of bed.

“Hm?” I responded, biting my bottom lip as I watched him walk naked toward my bathroom.

“Will you grab my duffle bag? I left it hidden behind a planter in the office.”

“Sure,” I said and got dressed.

“Thanks,” he said with a yawn and closed the bathroom door.

I walked downstairs to a quiet house. Cups and bottles littered every flat surface but, so far at least, there didn't appear to be any major damage. I found one person sleeping on the couch and nudged their leg with my foot.

Shikamaru snorted awake and looked at me. “What?” He asked.

“Good morning to you, too. No Temari?” I asked.

He groaned and sat up, rubbing his head.

“No. When she saw you and Kiba running upstairs she got mad and left.”

I couldn't help but grin. Oh how sweet it was to finally win. “So I guess mind games really don't work, huh? Want some breakfast?” I asked.

He groaned again and laid back down. “No I feel like shit.”

“You can stay and sleep it off a little if you want, but you can't hang around all day unless you're going to help clean later.”

He didn't say anything in response. I got a bottle of water out of the fridge and set it next to him on the coffee table.

I quickly scrambled eggs and made some toast for Kiba and myself and grabbed two more water bottles out of the fridge.

I fed the dogs and went to find Kiba's bag in my parent's home office. It was easy to spot with the giant green “42” embroidered on the side, his football number. I grabbed it and went back into the kitchen to get our food. When I turned the corner, Zakku was standing in the kitchen staring at the food on the counter.

He looked up at me as I walked in. He opened his mouth to say something, but then his eyes traveled down to the duffle bag in my hand. Then back up to my face. Then back to the two plates of food and two bottles of water on the counter. 

I didn't say anything as I walked over, stuffed the bottles in the side of the bag, slung the bag over my shoulder, picked up the plates, and started walking upstairs.

“I guess I'll order pizza for lunch,” I heard Zakku say, still in the kitchen.

“Sounds good, better order a couple,” I called back. A few steps later, I added, “And please let the dogs out. I fed them already.”

I opened my bedroom door and saw Kiba standing in the bathroom inspecting the bite marks on his shoulder in the mirror. His hair was still damp and his towel was barely hanging on around his hips. 

I smirked and rather abruptly dropped the plates on my desk and his bag on the floor.

He turned to face me as I walked into the bathroom. “I didn't realize I liked being bitten so much,” he said and grinned down at me.

I felt a rush of heat between my legs as I looked him over. I put my hands on his solid chest and dragged them down, taking my time over his lean stomach before stopping at the top of his towel and grabbing a handful of the cloth.

“There's a lot more where that came from,” I said as I looked up at him. “Now it's my turn to be the boss.”

He didn't say anything, just nodded a little weakly. I could feel his growing erection under the towel.

“Go lay down in bed. Prop your head up on some pillows,” I ordered and he obeyed, leaving his towel in the bathroom.

\-----------------------------------

For the rest of that Sunday we didn't do very much. We would watch some TV and talk, then fool around a little, then maybe take a cat nap, and then watch more TV.

At one point I got sick of TV and pulled out of one my Lit books to read. I laid sideways on the bed with my head on Kiba's chest and the lower part of my legs dangling off the edge of the mattress. Kiba wrapped one arm around me and, for a long time we just laid there, utterly content not saying a word to each other.

After a while, Kiba sighed. “Remember on our first date how I said that something was different about you, but I couldn't figure out what?”

“Yup,” I responded simply.

“I think I figured it out,” he answered.

I sat up and turned to face him. “Oh yeah? What is it?”

“Before, you were so shy that you never really wanted to talk to anyone except your friends. And you were so awkward that I actually had a few guys come to me asking for advice on how to get you to like them.”

“What do you mean ‘_advice on how to get me to like them_’?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I don't know. I guess they were being really flirty or hitting on you and you weren't getting it? I think they hoped I had some sort of secret weapon to win your affection.”

I rolled my eyes. 

“Anyway, that's not the point. You were shy and awkward before, always kind of curling in on yourself and not wanting the world to see you. But now you've got this confidence about you that you don't give a shit what anyone thinks or says.”

It was my turn to shrug. I gave a brief synopsis of the long conversation I had with my mom over the summer and said, “After that I spent the rest of the summer faking my way through confidence until it got really easy to fake it. I'm still shy and awkward, I just put on a good act to get what I want.”

“That's another thing. You know what you want and you're not afraid to say it. I thought it was kind of rude at first, but I love it now.”

My cheeks turned a little pink and so did his.

He looked down his fingers, fiddling with the blanket a little and avoiding looking at me as he said, “I think I love _you_ now.”

My heart fluttered and I wanted to say it back, but something in the back of my mind told me that it would be a bad idea. Sure we had gotten to know each other a lot over the weekend, but this was still only our third date, and it wasn't even a real date. It just seemed too soon to think about love.

He waited for my answer and, when I didn't give one, he looked over at me. “Are you gonna say something?” He asked after seeing the look on my face.

I sighed, crushing down that emotional little girl who wanted to spill out of my mouth so badly. “I don't think we know each other well enough to say it's love. I think it's just infatuation.” I couldn't think of any other way to put it.

“Just infatuation?” He asked incredulously. He got out of bed and started pacing. “No, fuck infatuation. Look, when I first asked you out, it was just for sex, but then by the end of that date I was starting to think to myself ‘_Oh man you made a mistake_’, and then we went to the beach and we had so much fun and it was just all so carefree and easy, and then we when were in the back of your car, and I was like ‘_Oh fuck I made a huge mistake_’ and I told you about the bet even though it would have been so easy to keep my goddamn mouth shut and just be with you, but I couldn’t do that to you. And then I realized I wasn’t getting over you, so I went on a few dates to try and move on, but it just wasn’t the same and I was spending the whole time comparing these girls to you. And then I started hearing about you and Shikamaru, and I was ready to kill this fucking guy because how dare he sleep with my girl. And then Hana told me that you’re going to Australia with her this summer, so I applied to the same school and got accepted, and I started having all these goddamn daydreams about the two of us living together in Australia and going to school and you forgiving me and us being together. Then Temari asked me to prom, saying something about making you jealous, and part of me thought it was a good idea like maybe you would come kiss me in front of her in some act of revenge against her or something. But then I hear you’re going to prom with Shikamaru and I just kind of realize that I lost. But then him and Temari hooked up, and I found out you guys weren’t together, and you didn’t even like him, and I just couldn’t believe my luck. But then I had to remember that I’m a fucking idiot and I don’t deserve you, but god damn I’m at least going to be your friend because I’d rather just be friends than not be around you at all. So then we’re playing beer pong and video games and talking about music and debating the fucking finer points of whether Dune is better classified as Fantasy or Science Fiction and it’s back to being so carefree and easy and fun. And then we’re sitting outside and all I'm thinking about is that it sucks that I can’t be with you, but then you tell me to fuck your brains out, and I do, and we’re lying here just now and I’m just daydreaming about doing this for the rest of our lives. Just being around each other and not talking and just being together and not having to try.”

He finally stopped and looked at me. His hair was a mess where he had been running his fingers through it while he rambled and paced back and forth. “I tried to play it all cool and calm and nonchalant, but then you said it was just infatuation and I realized it wasn’t. And I knew that if I went home tonight without telling you everything, I was going to regret it.”

I was stunned. All this time and he was struggling just like I had. I stuttered, restarting my sentence a few times trying to figure out what I wanted to say. “Kiba I…” I trailed off, biting the inside of my cheek. New me was screaming in the back of my head that this was a bad idea, but she was being drowned out by old me. Old me who had wanted to be with Kiba for so long and now finally had her chance.

I took a deep breath and quickly released it. “Thank you for being so honest and telling me everything...” I paused as I searched for my next words.

His shoulders slumped and his hands dropped to his sides. “That's it?” He asked.

“No,” I said, holding up my hand, “That's not it. Just wait a second.”

He sat back down on the bed.

I decided to be just as honest as he had been. “If you had said all of this to me before the summer, I would have said I love you too in a heartbeat. But now, I'm worried that we're moving too fast.”

“But you do think you love me too?” He asked.

I nodded, “Definitely.”

He scooted closer and took my hand in his. “So what's not too soon to say it? Three months? Six months? A year?”

I shrugged. “I don't know. I've never done this before.”

“Neither have I.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You've dated plenty of girls for more than six months.”

“Yeah but I didn't love any of them,” he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “So six months, then? That's how long you think it would take to know for sure?”

I shrugged again. “Yeah sure, six months seems like long enough to know for sure.”

“Then be my girlfriend for six months. I'll be starting college then so we can break up if you decide you don't love me by then.”

I just looked at him for a moment, considering it. 

_Who said we’re moving too fast? How the hell do I know what's too fast? I've had a huge crush on Kiba for ten years but suddenly I'm not sure if I actually like him all that much? Plus, just fucking look at him. Sitting there shirtless, his hair in tangles, the most earnest look on his face I've ever seen in my life._

I thought back to the last day of my relationship-talk with my mom. I asked her how I would know that I love someone. She told me it was different for every person and every relationship. It might not be one thing that happens that makes me say ‘I love this person’, or it might be. It might take months, or years, or only a few days.

“Does that not sound like a good plan?” Kiba asked, distraught at my silence.

I blinked to clear away my thoughts. With a small smile, I shook my head. “No, no, that sounds great. I would love that, let's do it.”

He smiled, beaming as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back onto the bed with him.

I buried my face in his neck, taking in his smell again and feeling my body melt into his. It wasn't going to take me six months.


	9. Epilogue

"And that's how your dad and I met," I smiled at my two daughters. The older one sat staring at me with her jaw dropped to the floor. The younger one had her headphones in and was playing on her phone. Her twin brother was nowhere to be found.

Now that I was done speaking, my younger daughter took out her headphones.

"Mom did the story have to be so graphic?" My eldest asked.

I shrugged. "You asked how we met."

"Yeah but I didn't need to know all the sex stuff," she responded.

"I stopped listening the first time she mentioned Dad's boner," my youngest said.

"Oh my God that was like 5 minutes into the story!" My eldest shrieked and buried her face in her hands.

The front door opened and Kiba walked in. "I'm home!"

I was the only one who greeted him back, "Welcome home, babe. How was work?"

He groaned. "Shit." He walked into the living room where we all were. He kept his eyes focused on me as he walked over. "I need you to cheer me up," he said with a smirk and ran one hand through my hair to get it away from my ear so he could lean down and nibble on the top.

"Oh Dad gross!" Our eldest yelled.

Kiba jumped and pulled away. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were there. Why didn’t you say anything when I walked in?"

"Too traumatized," our youngest responded and stood from her seat.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I told them the story of how we met," I answered.

"How is that traumatizing?" Kiba asked. 

"She included all the sex stuff, too!" Our remaining daughter huffed, got up, and left the room.

Kiba looked at me with wide eyes. "Why?"

I rolled my eyes. "They're 15 and 17 now. They know what sex is."

"Yeah but no one wants to hear about their parents."

"They'll be fine," I insisted and stood up. "They might just not look us in the eye for a little while." I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my body flush against his.

He smirked and wrapped his arms low around my waist.

"You said you wanted me to cheer you up?" I asked.

He nodded and leaned forward, brushing his nose along my jawline, kissing his way up to my ear.

I sighed and put a hand on his chest. "Good, because telling that story got me all worked up."

He grinned and pulled back, taking my hand and leading me across the house to our room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my first posted story!
> 
> I don't plan on writing anything else from the Naruto universe, but I have a few I'm working on in Attack on Titan, so if you're a fan of that series keep an eye out for upcoming stories!


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